All posts tagged: shapes

Social status shapes green consumption in an S-shaped pattern across socioeconomic levels

Social status shapes green consumption in an S-shaped pattern across socioeconomic levels

Published by José

A study published in Social Psychological & Personality Science revealed an S-shaped relationship between social status and green consumption, challenging existing models of how social hierarchies influence eco-friendly behaviors. Green consumption, defined as choosing eco-friendly products and practices, plays an important role in mitigating climate change. Social status has been identified as a key determinant of green consumption, but prior research has proposed conflicting patterns: an inverted U-shape, where middle-status individuals exhibit the highest green consumption; a negative linear relationship, suggesting higher-status individuals are less eco-friendly; and a positive linear relationship, where higher-status individuals consume more green products. In this work, Joe J. Gladstone and Silvia Bellezza analyzed a nationally representative U.K. dataset to map green consumption across the social spectrum. Building on theories like conspicuous conservation, which frames green consumption as a status signal, and the middle-status anxiety hypothesis, which posits that the middle class strives for distinction through eco-friendly behaviors, this study provides a novel perspective on the dynamics of social status, environmental values, and consumption patterns. The research leveraged data from the …

On the Several Shapes of Loneliness

On the Several Shapes of Loneliness

Published by skeptic

Loneliness is gaining increasing attention both as a subject of scientific investigation and as a social problem. In part, this is motivated by an increasing body of empirical literature suggesting that loneliness has harmful effects on health and well-being. In turn, this has prompted calls for interventions to reduce loneliness. Yet, from a philosophical perspective, one may ask whether loneliness is always harmful and in need of addressing. In this vein, there have been worries about approaching loneliness as a matter of individual responsibility toward one’s well-being, the commodification of therapeutic interventions, or medicalization. How can such pitfalls be avoided while still acknowledging that loneliness can be harmful in some cases and interventions for preventing or ameliorating it could be beneficial? In what follows, I will suggest that philosophy can help answer this question by clarifying the different meanings of loneliness and assessing their appropriateness in specific contexts. Briefly put, claims about the health effects of loneliness as well as framing the experience of loneliness as a necessary part of human existence work with different …

this sci-fi ‘B-movie’ still shapes how we view the threat of AI

this sci-fi ‘B-movie’ still shapes how we view the threat of AI

Published by skeptic

October 26, 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of director James Cameron’s science fiction classic, The Terminator – a film that popularised society’s fear of machines that can’t be reasoned with, and that “absolutely will not stop … until you are dead”, as one character memorably puts it. The plot concerns a super-intelligent AI system called Skynet which has taken over the world by initiating nuclear war. Amid the resulting devastation, human survivors stage a successful fightback under the leadership of the charismatic John Connor. In response, Skynet sends a cyborg assassin (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) back in time to 1984 – before Connor’s birth – to kill his future mother, Sarah. Such is John Connor’s importance to the war that Skynet banks on erasing him from history to preserve its existence. Today, public interest in artificial intelligence has arguably never been greater. The companies developing AI typically promise their technologies will perform tasks faster and more accurately than people. They claim AI can spot patterns in data that are not obvious, enhancing human decision-making. There …

How Your Mindset Shapes Your Weight Loss Journey

How Your Mindset Shapes Your Weight Loss Journey

Published by skeptic

The following post is first authored by Sydney Earl. Earl is a research consultant on healthy weight management and behavior change in the digital health industry and a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Applied Social Psychology at North Carolina State University. When it comes to weight loss and body image, we’re bombarded with advice—whether it’s the latest trending diet, a new high-intensity workout challenge, wearable fitness trackers, or apps promising to shed pounds effortlessly. But what if the key to lasting change lies not in what we do, but in how we think? Recent research sheds light on how our mindsets—specifically, our beliefs about whether or not we can change our weight—can profoundly impact our health behaviors, weight loss success, and even protect against the damaging effects of body shame or weight stigma. The Power of a Growth Mindset Mindsets are a lens through which we see ourselves and the world around us. These mindsets fall along a continuum. A fixed mindset indicates a belief that traits, abilities, and conditions can’t be changed. For …

How having conversations with children shapes their language and brain connectivity

How having conversations with children shapes their language and brain connectivity

Published by José

Parents and caregivers of school-aged children are all too familiar with the after-school conversation that sounds a little something like: “How was school?” “Fine.” “What did you learn?” “Nothing.” Conversations between children of all ages and attentive, caring adults offer strong benefits in all domains of children’s well-being. When these conversations are purposeful and strategic, they can even strengthen skills that contribute to stronger literacy and language development. More than information exchange When we engage in quality conversations with children, we are doing more than finding out how their day was at school. Talking with children teaches them about their world, enhances their vocabulary, strengthens trust and relationships and models formal language structures — how an arrangement and order of words in the context of specific sentences yields meaning. The power of conversations between children and adults even has the potential to affect connectivity in select regions of the brain. In a recent study in the Journal of Neuroscience, conversational “turns” — where there is a back-and-forth conversational exchange between children and attentive adults — …

“Culinary activist” Lelani Lewis on how human injustice shapes culinary culture

“Culinary activist” Lelani Lewis on how human injustice shapes culinary culture

Published by skeptic

Lelani Lewis’s “Code Noir” is so much more than just a cookbook. Full of stunningly colorful photos and amazing recipes, it also traces the plight of Afro-Caribbeans while simultaneously celebrating their culture, food and perseverance. “I would say that this book is equally a look at how food connects us rather than divides us,” Lewis said.  That desire to explore the way what we eat links us to other people and places has been a guiding ethos through Lewis’ career as a self-described culinary activist. After growing up in South London with a father from Grenada and a mother from Ireland, Lewis — who has a background as a chef and food stylist — began hosting dinner parties and workshops, also titled “Code Noir,” as a way to explore resistance and remembrance through food. “Code Noir” is the name of a manuscript distributed by King Louis XIV that regulated the life, death, purchase, religion and treatment of enslaved people by their masters in all French colonies. “My main point of interest was Caribbean food because …

Medieval Christian misogyny shapes how we judge women today, says scholar | University of Cambridge

Medieval Christian misogyny shapes how we judge women today, says scholar | University of Cambridge

Published by skeptic

Some called the women who put on makeup and dyed their hair, deceptive and artificial. Others said women who wore jewels and fine clothes could not be trusted, even by their husbands. But they all agreed: if a man ever encountered one of these unchristian women, and wanted to rape her, it was her fault – not his. According to a talk at the University of Cambridge, it was in the third-century that the Christian idea that “real” beauty is within was first used by influential male writers to try to control how women dressed. “Many of the ideas that govern how we perceive women’s appearance today have their roots in the middle ages,” said Cambridge scholar Alexandra Zhirnova who is giving her talk on 23 March as part of the Cambridge Festival – a showcase of the research under way at the university. Zhirnova’s PhD thesis shines a spotlight on the misogynistic attitudes of medieval Christian men towards women’s makeup, clothing and adornments. “One of the fundamental teachings in Christianity is the need to …

Nvidia unveils Latte3D to instantly generate 3D shapes from text

Nvidia unveils Latte3D to instantly generate 3D shapes from text

Published by skeptic

Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the gaming industry’s top leaders? Learn more about GamesBeat Summit sponsorship opportunities here.  Nvidia unveiled Latte3D to use generative AI to instantly generate 3D shapes from text. The text-to-3D generative AI generative AI model can produce high-quality 3D shapes in milliseconds. Crafted by Nvidia’s AI lab team in Toronto, Latte3D represents a significant advancement in the field of artificial intelligence, offering near-real-time generation of 3D objects and animals from simple text prompts, Nvidia said. Sanja Fidler, vice president of AI Research at Nvidia, hailed Latte3D as a game-changer for creators across industries. “We can now produce results an order of magnitude faster, putting near-real-time text-to-3D generation within reach for creators across industries,” said Fidler, in a statement. GB Event GamesBeat Summit Call for Speakers We’re thrilled to open our call for speakers to our flagship event, GamesBeat Summit 2024 hosted in Los Angeles, where we will explore the theme of “Resilience and Adaption”. Apply to speak here The heart of Latte3D lies in its ability …

How the Right Shapes the Immigration Debate from Panama

How the Right Shapes the Immigration Debate from Panama

Published by Sam

Ayub Ibrahim had just walked out of the jungle. His feet still ached. A month earlier, he had left his home in Somalia, fleeing a civil war, he said, traveling first to Turkey, then Brazil and finally crossing on foot through a 66-mile expanse of wilderness known as the Darién Gap. Resting in the sweltering San Vicente migrant camp in Panama with hundreds of other recent arrivals, he suddenly found himself surrounded by a half-dozen Americans with video cameras. “Do you guys like Ilhan Omar?” one person asked. “What do you think about Joe Biden?” Mr. Ibrahim, 20, answered the questions. He said he liked and admired Ms. Omar, the first Somali-American to serve in Congress. He doesn’t follow American politics, he added, but thinks Mr. Biden is a good president. When asked if Mr. Biden or former President Donald J. Trump would be better for immigrants, he chose Mr. Biden. Later, Mr. Ibrahim would say he had felt ambushed and confused by the questions. He hadn’t intended to make a political statement. But by …

How Foreshadowing Shapes Cinema and Storytelling

How Foreshadowing Shapes Cinema and Storytelling

Published by skeptic

  Across the vast field of storytelling history, foreshadowing is a plot device and a tool that successfully shapes the audience’s engagement. Delicate, but strategically placed hints, can add plot twists to any story. From ancient tales to modern blockbusters, foreshadowing has been present in narratives for centuries. Read on to learn more about how it helps shape different films and stories.   The Art of Foreshadowing in Cinematic Storytelling Storytelling image. Source: Faculty Focus   Any original storyteller will want to capture the attention of their reader or their audience and keep them engaged until the very end of the story. That’s the ultimate goal of a story, after all. For this goal to be accomplished, some methods and practices need to be used. Foreshadowing is a valuable literary technique used to build the necessary suspense while keeping the viewers engaged in the narrative.   Audience Photo by Krists Luhaersa. Source: Unsplash   This sharp narrative technique purposefully gives the audience clues to what will happen later in the story. This jaded hint might …